After successfully regrouping with Fern and Stark, Shane briefly explained the current situation to them.
Fern's expression grew grave after hearing it. The thing she hated most was poison. In the forr Southern Lands, whenever city-states went to war, there would always be so sche involving poison.
That kind of thod disgusted her.
Her father and mother had died because—
She shook her head and quickly pushed the thought away.
"Poisoning people is nothing more than using ordinary civilians' lives as bargaining chips. When did demons learn such despicable thods from the human world?" Fern asked, puzzled.
Shane agreed with her question.
"This thod really doesn't feel like sothing demons would do. As for whether they learned it from humans, now isn't the ti to think about that."
"Since the demons have already set up their tactics ahead of us, we can't keep reacting passively. We have to answer them as quickly as possible and strike back."
"Fern, Stark… Frieren and I have a bold plan, and we need your cooperation."
Hearing Shane's words, the two young ones froze for a mont, and their expressions turned serious.
Good.
Shane took the chance to pull out a map.
It was a detailed map of the Graf Granat Domain, one the countess had deliberately left behind before departing.
It showed every passage and hidden door within the city. There were even so notes on its defenses, making it an extrely useful operational map.
"I made a plan with Countess Granat."
"Graf Granat will pretend to agree to the peace talks and receive the demon envoys inside the count's manor. So tonight, I need the two of you to hide in the city. Then, when the two sides et, wait for an opening and launch a surprise attack. No matter who the other side sends, kill them on the spot."
"Rember, the count and the countess will actively cooperate with you. Don't let a single demon escape."
Fern nodded.
"As for Frieren and , while you're acting, we'll use that mysterious venom to track Aura's location, drag her and her Undead Army out, and fight her head-on."
"That way, she won't be able to launch a siege while we're distracted and scrambling."
"Rember, we have to move fast."
"We have to strike back before Aura realizes her plan has been obstructed. We can't give her another chance to escape."
The two little ones nodded with all their might.
Perhaps because it was his first ti taking part in an operational eting, even Stark's gaze toward Shane changed.
Shane ignored the brat's look of worship. Now wasn't the ti to enjoy that sort of thing.
The toxin in the water source was spreading too quickly. They had to race against ti.
After discussing the specific details of the plan, the two groups each set out.
Only...
Before leaving, Fern looked at Shane as if she wanted to say sothing but hesitated.
Shane noticed her feelings.
He raised a hand and patted the little girl on the head. "Fern, don't be afraid."
"You're already an excellent mage. You've long been capable of standing on your own. Rember, when things beco dangerous, trust your instincts."
Fern fell silent for a mont, then nodded firmly.
Then the little girl looked at Frieren.
Frieren also raised a hand and patted her head, but she said nothing. She only gave her a firm look.
Fern tightened her grip around the staff in her hand, and her expression grew resolute as well.
Under the cover of night, she and Stark quickly rushed toward the main city.
After the two left, Frieren glanced at Shane in slight surprise. "I didn't expect you to have the makings of a father."
Shane was speechless.
Could you not joke around at a ti like this?
Looking in the direction Fern had left, he felt a complicated mix of emotions in his heart. For a mont, he had the strange illusion of watching his daughter grow up and leave ho.
He hadn't wanted Fern and Stark to take the risk, but there was no other choice. Ti was too tight.
He even faintly felt that, for things to have turned out this way, the great demon pulling the strings behind the scenes might not be Aura alone.
He could only hope everything went smoothly.
"Let's go. It's our turn."
By the stream.
The strange black asphalt-like substance had already been placed inside a large vat by Shane, with the villagers taking turns to guard it.
However, because it was too terrifying, the villagers on watch were standing very far away. As soon as they saw Shane and Frieren return, they hurried over to hand things back.
Fortunately, there had been no problem with the asphalt-like substance.
"Thank you, everyone. Leave the rest to us."
Frieren planted her staff upright in front of her. Invisible magical energy radiated from her body, and with a hum, countless pale-blue magical particles gathered in the air, faintly pointing out a path leading deep into the forest.
Shane and Frieren exchanged a glance.
They had found it!
To conserve Frieren's mana, Shane directly carried her on his back, activated [Sprint], and charged forward.
Dark clouds gradually covered the moon, making the already dim night even darker.
Shane felt the cool wind brushing past his ears. A trace of gloom gradually gathered in his heart. More and more mysteries lingered in his mind, giving him a strong sense of unease.
Click.
A crisp sound ca from beneath Shane's foot.
Imdiately afterward, a sharp silver flash shot out from the fallen leaves covering the ground, slicing straight toward the two of them.
[Dual Blade Style · Shadow Kill]
Shane activated his surprise-attack technique and barely dodged with Frieren, stopping beside a large tree.
Frieren climbed down from Shane's back, and the two of them went on full alert, facing straight ahead.
Hiss.
At the spot Shane had just stepped on, every withered branch and fallen leaf had been split in two.
A thin figure erged from the night.
It was a demon whose clothing and style were sowhat similar to Lügner's. He had pale-green hair, a white shirt on his upper body, suspenders below, and a long, narrow bow tie around his neck.
If one ignored the long pair of horns on his head, he looked like an ordinary shy boy.
"Lord Lügner was right. So troubleso people really did co chasing after us."
"Oh, right. You two must not know yet."
"My na is Draht. I'm a very skilled Executioner. Don't worry, I work quickly. You won't feel any pain at all."
Swish, swish, swish. As his voice fell, ten transparent threads appeared at his fingertips. Those threads vanished into the boundless night, making them extrely difficult to spot.
A sharp sound of wind rushed toward them.
Bang.
Frieren's [Defensive Magic] activated imdiately, barely blocking the attack.
The trees around them were snapped in half at the waist.
Shane tightened his grip on his longsword and frowned. This kind of invisible thread attack was truly difficult to deal with on a night where one could not even see their own hand in front of their face. He and Frieren stood back-to-back, pressed tightly together.
When his first strike failed, the other party did not get angry. Instead, he smiled cheerfully at Shane and Frieren, then spoke to himself.
"What's this? Is one of you not a mage?"
"That really is awful."
"Then goodbye."
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